Video Games
by glaceon
Summary: Thirty days of Red. Day Eleven: Prepared — "There was nothing he could have possibly done that would have helped in preparation for this moment." Ficlets and character building drabbles for the enigma that is Red. Gameverse — Red centric.
1. beginning

**Beginning**

Red was a particular person. He was quiet and aloof. He didn't socialise much and he exuded an air of near absolute apathy. Most of the kids at school teased him about his apparent laziness, but they couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Red wasn't lazy or emotionless or indifferent. He just didn't wear his heart on his sleeve like most people. But while he wasn't an emotional wreck all the time, he _did_ still have emotions and feelings. Like right now, for instance.

He supposed he could officially be called a nervous wreck. His hands were shaking, his temple was beaded with sweat, and his Adam's apple was doing quite an impressive dance from the amount of anxious swallowing his was doing. He gripped the hem of his red shirt as he stared down at the three round white and red balls in front of him.

This was undoubtedly the most important decision Red would ever make. His whole entire life would be moulded around the choice he would make today. His future as a Pokémon trainer came down to this _one_ crucial selection. He took a deep breath in and began to reach for a Pokéball...

"Come on, Red! Hurry it up – _some _people have a League to beat here!"

Red looked over to the smirking figure of Green and the sheepish one of Professor Oak. He rolled his eyes unconsciously and went back to deciding.

(After all, Green had been acting the same way since he was eight and officially declared that they were 'no longer friends, but the bitterest of rivals'. Red suspected that he'd been mildly addicted to his sister Daisy's soap operas as a kid, and thought it would be an interesting twist to their friendship saga. Regardless, the two boys hadn't been true friends in a long time.)

On the table were three Pokéballs. One contained a Bulbasaur, one a Charmander, and in the third was a Squirtle.

He was supposed to pick one, to share his life with one, to train and care and love one. But none of them felt right. None of them _were _'the one'.

And okay, so maybe when Green was watching '_Regions of our Love_', Red was watching '_The Elite Bachelorette_' with his mother. He didn't quite take away the right message the show was trying to convey, but he found it quite applicable in this situation. And he was glad Lorelei got a good man in the end, too.

But he wasn't meant to have a Bulbasaur or a Squirtle or a Charmander. He was meant to have _something else_.

He shot an almost panicked look towards Professor Oak. The man raised an eyebrow and Green scoffed, rolling his eyes at Red.

"He's too good for these ones, Gramps. Just give him that special one you're always complaining about."

Red's eyebrow raised just as Professor Oak's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure about that, Green. That Pokémon is very dangerous..."

Green groaned, "just do it! He obviously doesn't want any of these ones. He's weird, Gramps. He _likes_ challenges." he snarked and shot a sideways look at Red. "Plus, I wanna get first pick. Those other two trainers can choose between the others later."

Professor Oak sighed and nodded, "very well. I was actually considering giving this one to you in the first place, Red, but decided that you should at least have a choice. But if you'd rather have a different one..."

Red nodded in response as the Professor opened up a drawer in his desk. He pulled out another Pokéball much like the other three. There was nothing particularly special about this one. No extra markings or different colours – it was just a plain, old Pokéball.

Professor Oak handed the object over to Red with a hesitant smile. "This is a Pikachu, Red. It's an Electric type. However, it's quite hostile and it needs a special trainer to own it," he smiled, and shot a look at Green who was fussing over which starter he wanted. "But I'm sure you're patient enough. You have put up with my grandson for over ten years. You'll be fine."

Red looked down at the Pokéball with carefully concealed interest. He knew he was only imagining it, but he could almost feel the difference. Like there was a current of power running from his hand to the Pokémon and back again. This was no regular Bulbasaur. This was something special.

He looked up at Professor Oak who was smiling. Red nodded once and smiled back. This was a new beginning for him. He was going to be on his own with a Pikachu at his side.

He was ready.

* * *

**a/n:** This is based off of a writing challenge currently making its way around tumblr. I decided I may as well give it a go with Red. I absolutely adore him, but I find it quite difficult to write with. I hope this will help me become more comfortable with him as a character! There will be thirty drabbles in this series.


	2. accusation

**Accusation**

Four years after Red became the Champion of the Kanto League and two years after Green received the position of Viridian City Gym Leader, the two of them finally spend a day together – just the two of them. No trainers to battle, no mountains to freeze on. Just one simple day spent in Celadon City.

They got tea and breakfast at a little shop run by old woman. She opened up after some coercion from a lovely brunette coordinator from Pallet Town with the prettiest green eyes. Red figured out that pushiness was an Oak family trait.

They spent an hour going through the new merchandise on sale at the Celadon Department Store. Red brought Green a Poké Doll. Green was not impressed.

They wasted most of their recently earned battle money on the slot machines in the Game Corner. After briefly considered going down into the old Rocket Base, the call of tokens to be used at the Game Shop called them away. Green brought a new Silk Scarf for his precious Eevee and proceeded to spend half an hour trying to get the item onto said Eevee before the Pokémon ripped it to shreds. Red laughed.

They spent most of the afternoon attempting to get into Erika's Gym under the guise that they wanted to catch up with the Leader, when in reality they wanted to bask in the company that was an entire Gym filled with girls. Erika came out after two hours of pestering to shoo them off, all the while politely accusing them of being 'lecherous adolescents'.

They had lunch at a restaurant wherein Green proceeded to participate in the daily eat-a-thon. He ended up throwing up into the nearby bushes and had Red carry him back to their hotel.

They spent the rest of the day holed up in their hotel room, simply reminiscing about the years previous. The years when they were travelling trainers, battling Gyms, foiling bad guys. At Red's deadpan stare, Green laughed and waved his hands consolingly, "okay, okay. So maybe _you_ beat Team Rocket."

They sat on their hotel balcony reclining on beach chairs. They each had something cheap, fruity, and alcoholic in their hands, and were pleasantly buzzed. Pikachu cooed softly from Red's shoulder as Eevee purred in Green's lap.

They stared up at the clear night sky of Celadon in perfect peace. They reflected back on their day and wondered why they hadn't done it sooner. They sit there in silence, simply enjoying each other's company – until Green chuckled.

"Team Rocket or not, I was _still_ the Champion before you."


	3. restless

**Restless**

Red liked to spend his day pondering the facts of life.

He was a thinker by circumstance, a mute by nature, and a philosopher because there was little else to do on top of that god forsaken mountain. When he wasn't training, or thinking about training, or about to train – or occasionally sleeping – he was thinking.

Mostly about himself, but he never said he wasn't self-centred. He didn't tend to say anything at all. But while he mostly thought about himself and his journey to the top of Mt. Silver – both literal and metaphorical journey – he would also occasionally spare a thought towards his friends. Not that he had all that many.

But since he spent much of his time thinking, he thought about what brought them all together. Yes, they were all from Pallet Town, they all started their journeys at the same time and they were all around the same age. But there was more to friendship than that, and after months on top of that mountain with only the occasional care package, he figured it out.

All of them were restless.

Green Oak – rival, friend, comrade, prissy Champion for a day. He was, and still is, a cocky brat but decidedly less of one than when he was ten and bragging about his prized Charmander defeating every Bug Catcher in Viridian Forest – like it was a challenge. If Red was honest with himself, he took great pleasure defeating Green in Pokémon battles. They were rivals, after all.

But despite Green finally settling down and becoming a Gym Leader, he was still the same person he was as a child. He was restless, like Red – literally and figuratively. He gained no pleasure in sitting still, or staying in one place. It was why he left his Gym unattended so often. It was why he felt the need to go as far as the world would let him. But Green was more literally restless than figuratively restless. He didn't like the feeling of physically being locked up somewhere like his Gym or Pallet Town.

Red, on the other hand, leant more towards the figuratively restless than literally. But he could identify with Green. They had travelled alongside each other, after all (despite the fact that Green was always one step ahead of him).

Red was not – and still isn't – a very friendly guy. It wasn't that he went out of his way not to make friends but he didn't really try to either. Any friends he did have were by pure circumstance. Or by reckless force which always leads him to think about the twins.

(Red briefly thinks that their title should be capitalised, and gives a mental note to himself to call them 'the Twins' from now on in).

Fire and Leaf, notoriously known in Pallet Town as 'the Twins', were a brother and sister duo who were year younger than the Pallet Champs at ten years old but still managed to convince their parents to let them leave early anyway. They were hot-tempered, quick, witty, smart, and ridiculously dangerous.

The day after Red received Pikachu as a starter, they nearly caused Professor Oak to have a heart attack as they fought over who would choose which starter first. Leaf ended up punching Fire in the stomach and snatching the Squirtle before her brother even got his breath back.

They quickly caught up to Red and Green in Pewter City and immediately challenged the two boys to a battle. To this day Red still has no clue how he and Green lost to them. Green still accuses them of being 'dirty cheaters, using their freaky twin powers to win'. Red stays silent, but he's agreeing on the inside.

But Fire and Leaf were probably even more restless than Red and Green. Even now, when the two Champions had nearly settled down into their new roles of Leader and Mountain Hermit, the Twins were still travelling. Last he heard, Leaf was conquering all of the Contests in Hoenn while Fire was challenging all of the Gyms. Leaf's last letter mentioned something about an 80 Day Pact, an idea they got off a Rudy and Sophie, or a Randy and Sally. Or something like that.

(Leaf's writing was more or less chicken scratch, and Red didn't care enough to find out.)

Red knows that most people just chalk their weird restlessness up to age, but it was more than that. It had little to do with the fact that they were impressively – dangerously – young when they hit their metaphorical trainer plateau. It had even less to do with the fact that they were barely eleven when they defeated an entire criminal organisation.

After all, Lance was considered a prodigy when he defeated the Indigo League at age twelve and he was perfectly happy sitting in his throne room all day, reflecting the mysteries of the universe with his almost brain dead Dragonite.

But thinking back, as he did so well and so frequently, Red honestly didn't quite know why they were drawn together by their restlessness, or why they were restless in the first place. In hindsight, maybe it was more of a Pallet Town thing. He's been hearing good things about an Ash lately. Maybe he'll check him out.

He was feeling restless, after all.


	4. snowflake

**Snowflake**

"I don't know how you survive up here," Green whined as he wrapped his scarf tighter around himself and pulled Eevee closer. "My balls are freezing here, man."

Directly across from Green sat Red, who shot a pointed look at his best friend and rolled his eyes before pulling his cap down to cover his eyes.

On either side of Red and Green sat Fire and Leaf, who were shivering only slightly less than Green. At Green's complaint Leaf threw a premade snowball his way, laughing as the boy sputtered out insults. Fire snickered as he pulled a marshmallow on a stick out of the fire.

They all sat around the dismal fire shivering – everyone except Red who had creepily become accustomed to the cold weather. None of them particularly enjoyed climbing to the top of Mt. Silver. It actually sucked. It took all day, it was cold 24/7/365, snow ended up getting _everywhere_ and Green spent the entire trip complaining.

So they only did it once a month, if that. In Green's opinion, Red should be glad they even visited him at all.

They were also usually a bit more careful than this. They waited until the ever present snow storm was a little less vicious than usual before climbing their way to the peak. They monitored the weather reports like madmen (and woman) until the perfect moment struck. It wouldn't do to go up Mt. Silver and then get stuck there.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what they did. A massive snowstorm raged outside Red's not-so-cosy cave, absolutely forbidding exit down the mountain. Which then lead them to their current predicament – they were four people and two Pokémon, one measly fire attempting to keep four bodies warm as they waited out the storm with thinly veiled irritation, and an entire packet of jumbo marshmallows on sticks to keep them occupied.

"But seriously, how do you survive? It's like minus fifty eight degrees in the middle of a raging snowstorm and you're sitting there in a freaking vest!" Green exclaimed, staring at Red as though he was possessed. He would have probably accused the boy of secretly being a Froslass if they could even be found on Mt. Silver.

Leaf scoffed and bent down to pick up another deadly snowball in her mitten covered hand before a sharp look from Fire made her stop. She gratefully accepted a warm toasted marshmallow instead.

"Don't be such a baby. It's not _that_ cold!" she said to Green with a mouthful, the marshmallow muffling her words. "You come up here more often than us anyway."

Green sneered, "yeah, but you and Fire are just freaks who don't seem to feel the cold!"

"Uh, excuse you." Fire muttered. "We've been travelling the Hoenn region that literally does not even get a winter and we're still more tolerant to snow than you are."

Leaf poked her tongue out at Green as she and Fire hi-fived.

Green threw an exasperated look towards Red, "why aren't you the one punishing the kids, Mom? I always feel like the bad guy here!"

Red sent a look Green's way but otherwise ignored him in favour of cuddling Pikachu closer to himself.

In the background, Leaf and Fire laughed. "Yeah right, no way Red's the mother in this screwed up family! You're the one who's got the girly hips, Green," Leaf snarked as Fire wrapped an arm around his middle and laughed.

The two didn't even notice when Green flipped his middle finger at them before going back to pouting. The other three pointedly ignored him in favour of more productive activities.

Like more marshmallows.

"Why are you the one with control over the marshmallows anyway, Fire?" Leaf remarked and lunged for the packet. Her brother grinned and lifted them out of the way as she fell onto his lap. Fire laughed and leant down, using her back as an elbow rest. Leaf retorted by screeching and wiggling around, trying to get away.

Green sneered at the twins. "You keep that up, Fire, and everyone's gonna start calling you a siscon like that kid Champion in Unova."

Fire audibly growled from the left of him and threw Leaf to the ground. His sister huffed before climbing back to her spot, the packet of marshmallows tucked safety under her arm.

She poked her tongue out at Fire as he glared at her from across the fire, but made no move to get up and retrieve his food. Silently, Red grabbed a chocolate bar from his backpack and threw it towards the younger boy. Fire grinned gratefully and ripped it open with his teeth.

Opposite to the two boys, Green nudged Leaf with his foot and gestured towards the packet, "gimme some."

Leaf raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "No way – these are my loot from a fearsome battle with the evil overlord of fire. I'm not giving up my sweet booty." She snarked and popped a marshmallow into her mouth.

Green growled shared a poignant look with Fire before they simultaneously threw themselves in her direction, attempting a coup d'état towards the only girl member of their group. Leaf shrieked and stuffed the packet down her top before either of them could get to her.

The two boys stopped and stared at her for a few seconds before Green recoiled and gestured towards the girl, "you go get them, Fire. You're her brother. She can't sue you for going down her top."

Fire looked at Green with a deadpan expression. "Uh, yeah she can, dumbass."

"Don't you call me a dumbass, asshole."

"Ooh, real mature. Get that one from that Joey kid?"

"No, I got it from your _Mom_."

"_What_ did you say about my Mom?"

"Yeah! What did you say about our mother, you little bitch?"

"I think _you're_ the bitch here, Leaf, obvi— _OW_! That hurt! No more snowballs to the face, okay?"

"I'll stop throwing snowballs at your precious little face when you stop insulting my mother!"

"And I'll stop insulting your mother when—,"

The threesome stopped bickering the second Red held up his hand.

They waited impatiently as the silent trainer simply pointed towards the exit of the cave. Outside, the storm had finally stopped and tiny, beautiful snowflakes were falling gently from the sky.

"Whoa," Fire murmured as he let go of Green's collar and made his way out of the cave. Leaf let go of Green's leg and stood up, shaking the snow from her jacket before following Fire.

In the cave, Red shot a deadpan look towards Green, who scoffed in return and shook the snow from his hair. "Yeah, I know I'm lucky. Now c'mon, this is the perfect time to get back at Leaf for all those snowballs she threw at me!" He said and grasped Red's arm, pulling him out of the cave. Pikachu and Eevee followed them out excitedly before diving into the snow.

Once outside, the two trainers threw their arms up to shield their eyes from the bright sunlight. The sound of a snowball fight reached their ears when Leaf shrieked and Fire laughed.

Green chuckled and bent down, scooping up some fresh snow before stalking towards the twins with an excited Eevee bounding along with him. "Oh, Leaf," he sung.

Red smiled softly and bent down to pick his perky eyed Pikachu off the ground. The mouse Pokémon scrambled its way up to Red's shoulder to perch himself there. The trainer watched his friends engage in a particularly violent snowball fight, all previous frustrations forgotten.

It was true. His friends were rarely able to visit him on the mountain he's marooned himself on, but when they did, he really, truly appreciated it.

Red smirked and bent down to pick his own snowball up. It was the rare visits he had with his friends that made his life worthwhile, and he was going to enjoy every second.


	5. haze

**Haze**

Pikachu cooed and squeaked, watching as the mist rolled around the town lazily. It was early in the morning, not an hour after daybreak, and the thick haze that surrounded Celestic Town made seeing hard and breathing harder. But Red was pretty much acclimatised to extreme conditions – after spending over a year on Mt. Silver he was more or less used to the elements. It was different though. At least Pikachu seemed to enjoy it.

But while it wasn't horrible to spend a week in the dense fog, it wasn't preferable. He enjoyed his temperate Kanto to the near constant cold of Sinnoh. If one wanted to get any sort of sun in the region, they'd have to travel towards the north-east of the region, towards Sunyshore and the Pokémon League.

Which wouldn't have been all that bad considering that the whole point of his trip was to visit Cynthia per her request. He'd received a text from her a week ago asking for his presence in Sinnoh. Something along the lines of

'Text from Cynthia at 3:45 –

Champ really wants to meet you, kid. Get over here pronto.'

which he thought was vague and strange, since she _was_ the Champion and they met soon after he became the Kanto and Johto Champion seven years previous.

He should have been more wary, but he had ulterior motives for going to Sinnoh. So maybe he'd also wanted to visit some of the landmarks and to take a break from the occasional challenger. But then again, things rarely worked out for him lately.

The initial trip to Sinnoh had been relatively pleasant. He met a chatty girl in a red coat and white beanie who wouldn't shut up, but was more than happy to just let Red sit there and listen. He learnt that she was fourteen, her favourite colour was red – she giggled when she found out his name – and that she was currently returning to her home region after a brief and disastrous stint in Orre.

She spent the entire time complaining either about how the boat made her seasick or how all she wanted to do was let out her Empoleon and surf the entire way home. Red was almost ready to release his Lapras and race her when they both received a stern look from the ship official.

Once they had arrived on dry land he suspected that the girl was only a few moments away from throwing herself on the ground and kissing it. Once more, disapproving looks from complete strangers had her pouting and refraining from showing obscene affection for the concrete.

He'd bid her goodbye at the port of Canalave as they went their separate ways – the girl catching another boat to somewhere called Iron Island and Red making the long journey towards Sunyshore.

He was barely at Veilstone City when he received a text from Cynthia requesting he make his way _backwards_ to Celestic Town. There was nothing else in the message – no explanation or reason. Red had sighed to himself heavily before turning around.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy travelling – he did. But after years and years of doing it near constantly, he was relatively sick of the idea for the time being.

Not to mention that he hated doubling back on himself. No point in seeing an area twice, after all. But what Cynthia wants, Cynthia gets. Every other Champion, all of her Elites, Gym Leaders, Sinnoh officials, and basically anyone who had ever met the woman _ever _knew that.

So Red wasn't inclined to be disobeying her any time soon.

That then led him to his current predicament.

He was sitting in front of the large Celestic Ruins, waiting for the blonde Champion to show up and make herself known. It just figured that she would be late to her own meeting.

Red sighed and lowered himself down to lie on the grass. The wavering Celestic haze was floating around him gently. Not quite thick enough to block the sun, but bad enough to make him wish he was back in Viridian City – or Sunyshore. He wasn't picky right this second.

Which was why he squinted, confused, when the dismal sunlight he did receive was blocked out by a person standing over him.

"You're gonna get a sunburn if you just sit out here like this! People think you can't get burnt when it's cold, or when the fog is out, or even in the winter! But it's not true. You should wear a thicker coat, too... oh! I know the best place in Hearthome that sells the cutest cardigans – I can take you there later!"

He sat up quietly and placed a hand over his eyes to look up at the figure, raising an eyebrow as the ever chatty figure of the girl from the boat standing over him.

The girl simply grinned and plonked herself down next to him, shoving a hand towards him. "Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself earlier! The name is Dawn, the Champion of the Sinnoh region! Pleased to meet you, Red!"


	6. flame

**Flame**

In the wake of the Cinnabar Island eruption, Red can't help but visit the destroyed land mass. There are a lot of memories for him on the small island – simple memories of his journey, of his growth as a trainer, and as a person. But quaint memories like those make him remember where he is now – Champion of the Kanto League, and spending day after day atop Mt. Silver contemplating his monotonous existence.

Cinnabar was the last place Red considered himself a regular trainer – a normal boy travelling around Kanto trying to gain all the badges. After he defeated Blaine and received the Volcano Badge he moved onto Viridian City – the place where he stopped Giovanni and became not only a boy who had earned all eight Kanto badges, but the boy who conquered Team Rocket.

Two years after receiving the title of Champion from Green, he stood at the place where his life fell apart and wondered what he would have done if he had lost to Blaine that day.

There was actually a chance of him losing that day. It was neck and neck between them for a while. His Arcanine was facing off against Pikachu, Red's last Pokémon. Red had complete and utter faith in his partner, unwavering as usual, but for a split second – moments after Arcanine was ordered to let out a flamethrower – he felt a jolt of fear run down his spine.

What if Pikachu couldn't dodge? What if he lost this battle? What _would_ he do if he lost? Would he try again? Would he give up? Would he mother still be proud of him? Could he even physically stand living next to Green with the shame?

A split second occurred before Pikachu barely jumped out of the way. But it was still enough time for a thousand thoughts to run through Red's head.

One well aimed quick attack finally had the fire Pokémon down for the count. It cinched the battle for Red, but he was left shaken. Once he was outside and on his way to the Pokémon Centre he hoped that all those doubts would be forgotten about. He was wrong.

Every single day since then he's thought about the consequence of failure.

What if Pikachu hadn't been quick enough or if Red hadn't made the right call? Would he have lost and given up all together? It was certainly a possibility. Red was almost too confident as a trainer before his near loss to Blaine – he was filled with bravery and adventure with no caution to speak of.

It was different now. He was older and wiser and experienced. If anyone asked how managed to get so far he would simply shrug and say nothing, as per usual. But a little voice in the back of his head that's been getting stronger ever since the battle on Cinnabar would be chanting away.

"It was luck – pure _luck_ – that you've gotten as far as you have. You're not a good trainer at all, you're the champion on a fluke, you complete and utter fake."

It drives Red insane most days.

The voice that is his subconscious reminds him of the volcano. The dormant volcano on Cinnabar that laid still for years and years allowing everyone to go about their business peacefully, not showing its true nature to anyone until they were all absolutely content with their lives.

Red was content before Cinnabar – his mind was a dormant volcano ready to leave itself alone for all eternity. He shouldn't have been so complacent. It had only been a matter of time for the volcano to erupt and ooze destructive, flaming lava throughout every aspect of his life. Giovanni, Team Rocket, Green, the championship, Mt. Silver – it was all the after effects of that one eruption.

Red is now the hardened exterior of that explosion. Just like the shell that once was Cinnabar Island.

He didn't ask to be who he was. He didn't ask for anything. That's probably his problem – he never does.

Present day, Red stood on the site the Cinnabar Gym used to be and sighed.

This is where is all went wrong.


	7. formal

**Formal**

The voice out of the amplifier connected to the microphone is loud, booming excitedly against the eardrums of the audience and attractions. It echoes around the stadium like an alarm calling everyone's attention.

Red hates noises regardless but loud noises are the worst. The man is loud – the man being the announcer, the man in charge of bringing naive trainers to their doom against the Champion.

He should pity them, but he doesn't. They can't win – no one has. Five years and no one has ever beaten him in a Pokémon battle. The sheer thought makes him ache and wince.

He doesn't know which is worse – the fact that he's never lost a battle or the fact that at any moment he might.

Because for all he hates it – the infamy, the tabloids, the endless expectations of being the very best – the idea of being _nothing_ is just as bad.

Red fears failure above all else. He dreams about failing the night before every formal battle like the one he was in today. Horrible, crippling night terrors that make him wake up in a cold sweat, a voiceless scream on his lips.

He remembers the dreams vividly. The moment that Pikachu would fall, exhausted and unable to fight any longer, the rest of his team would be inside their Pokéballs, recovering from defeat. The crowd would be silent and Red would stand there, shocked and bewildered. The disappointed gaze of Green would watch him as the announcer booms the result. The nameless, faceless monster across from him would smile and jump for joy – a new Champion crowned.

Red would be forgotten.

And he wakes.

Then he fights, because if he doesn't fight his nightmares become all the more painful, and all the more real.

So he wakes up.

He wakes up and dreads the day to follow; he entertains the idea of running away.

He wakes up and wonders if today will be the day he finally loses his crown.

He wakes up and becomes the Champion for one more day and prays it won't be the last.


	8. companion

**Companion**

Green is home.

Green is the extrovert to Red's introvert. He's teasing rivalry, familiarity, and angst all rolled up into one arrogant package. He knows how to pry Red out of his shell, and how to make him actually enjoy life instead of moping around as if the fate of the world is his personal burden. They became best friends when they were five and have had a half friendship ever since. He's Red's best friend and rival through and through and he wouldn't want to share his childhood with anyone else.

Fire is warmth.

Fire is excitement and happiness and pure friendship. He's all smiles and joy, and adventure personified. He's chivalrous charm without a care in the world. Fire is Red, but with a father and a sister and minus the incessant plaguing personal issues. Fire is unconditional love, a strong wall of self confidence that Red wants for himself more than anything in the world. He's proud but not arrogant – he's everything Green and Red are not in the best possible way. He's a pillar of strength in Red's crumbling life.

Leaf is comfort.

Leaf is gentle songs, consoling touches, and a smell that is one part fresh grass and one part his mother's home cooking. She's courage and strength where he is cowardly and weak. She's soft smiles and soothing words, accompanying a firm hand and sharp stare. She's the sister he never had, the friend he's always wanted. She's kind and loves to a fault, and in Red's opinion, she would be a much better Champion than any of the boys put together.

While all three are friends to Red, all of them closer than anyone else in his life, they're not companions. They aren't there all the time and they have their own lives. They have family and friends that aren't Red, and sometimes that breaks his heart. But he doesn't try to change it – he does the opposite. He holes himself up on the top of Mt. Silver away from any kind of civilisation; away from those he calls friends.

All except for one.

Amongst all the issues Red has suffered through, there's always been one companion who has never had to leave.

Red sits in his cave atop Mt. Silver and cuddles his closest companion to his chest to protect him from the cold.

Pikachu coos softly and snuggles in closer to his entire world.


	9. move

**Move**

A fifteen year old Green raised his eyebrow at Red, scrutinising the look he had etched on his normally stoic face.

"You still haven't gotten over it, have you?"

Red shook his head absentmindedly, the loudest 'no' Green was ever going to get.

Green sighed and rubbed the back of his neck exasperatedly, "she's like eight years older than you, bro. Not to mention my _sister_."

But there was little Green could say that would put Red off of Daisy Oak. A goddess in pastels with flowing chestnut hair and a smile that set Red's 'cold, dead heart' – _his_ mute, over dramatic words – into overdrive. But it was true; ever since he was five years old, he'd been in love with Daisy Oak.

Ever since she cooed over his brand new hat and called him 'as cute as a Caterpie'.

Ever since she baked cookies for him and his mother – he ate all of them before his mother even saw the basket they came in.

Ever since she gave him a Kanto map and winked at him before saying that her brother deserved to be taken down a peg every once and a while.

Ever since she ran up to greet him when he came home after winning the Championship title and congratulated on his success with a kiss on the cheek.

He'd been the Champion for five years and his puppy love for her had only grown as the years went on.

Red was besotted and Green was petulant. "You need to move on, man. I heard Misty's got the hots for you, y'know..."

No; Red was _in love_. He was never, ever going to forget about Daisy Oak for as long as he should live. He was going to marry her, and look after lots of little baby Pokémon with her, and even grow _old_ with her.

Now if only he could only open his mouth and actually _tell _her.


	10. silver

**Silver**

"So you're the one Ethan was complaining about," the kid mutters, looking at Red as though he scraped him off the bottom of his shoe. "You don't look like much."

Red stares back at the kid, not rising to the taunt. He's never reacted before – Green was the master of taunts after all. So why should he care now when it was only one insignificant little trainer – a kid barely eleven years old and already looking as though he wears the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Red would know. He was – _is_ – the exact same.

He looks as though he expects Red to reply – apparently the kid hadn't gotten the 'the champion is a selective mute' memo yet, but it didn't seem to bother him – before launching into a monologue. The kid obviously had the same talkative tendencies as his father.

"I've never been able to defeat Ethan – ever. We even started at exactly the same time, but I was never good enough. I even tried to get the upper hand on him, but it still beat me." The kid pauses and glares at Red, "...do you even know who I am?"

Red knows exactly who he is, but it's so much easier to just call him 'kid' in his head. It's a much more preferable alternative than acknowledging that this is the son of the man who ruined Red's life.

But Red doesn't voice this opinion out loud – not that he would or could – and nods in confirmation.

"Good," the kid mumbles and shuffles around for a second before steeling his resolve, glaring at the Champion with thinly veiled determination. "I've come here to challenge you to a Pokémon battle."

Without waiting for word from Red, the kid throws his first Pokéball out into the field. A smug Sneasel appears in the snow, its claws outstretched. Red nods and pulls out his own Pokémon, Charizard. No more pleasantries are exchanged as Silver lets out his first command.

It is all rather fitting; a battle between the two of them on the very peak of Mt. Silver.

Ten minutes later, Red watches as the kid shivers against the wind and recalls his fainted Feraligatr. Red silently calls Pikachu back to his side and waits. The kid is quiet for a moment as they stare each other down.

"I didn't expect to defeat you – if Ethan couldn't, then why should I?" He pauses and stares at Red, "I just wanted a reason to meet you."

He stares at Red anxiously as if he expects him to say something – but Red doesn't. He does, however, tip the brim of his hat forward and rub the back of his neck uncomfortably. Red has a hint of an awkward smile on his lips, but the kid can't see.

Without a world, the kid narrows his eyes and turns around, swiftly making his way back down the mountain.

No words are spoken as the two part ways but Red feels that more was said in one battle than if they had shared a million words in one conversation.

Red watches contentedly as Silver – son of Giovanni – leaves the mountain, and Red, behind. The Champion can't help but feel like the weight on his shoulders has lightened for the first time in three years.


	11. prepared

**Prepared**

There was nothing he could have possibly done that would have helped in preparation for this moment.

This thought sends a rush of complete and utter terror through his body, which is accompanies the suffocating pressure descending on his chest. As the choking feeling creeps upon him, he attempts to take deep breaths of air into his lungs, but finds that he can't seem to manage the simple task. Panic sets in as Red scrambles to think of something – _anything_ – to get out of the situation.

Memories begin to fly through his mind as breathing becomes harder. He sees clear as day the moment he defeated Green in his first Pokémon battle, followed quickly by the very first Pokémon he ever caught, and the feeling of utter triumph when the Boulder badge was placed in his hand.

But the bad memories get in too. He relives vivid apprehension as he wandered around Mt. Moon wondering who all the shady trainers were, feeling the dread as he saw the ransacked house of a man in Cerulean, and the deserted streets of Saffron seized by Team Rocket, the battle he took with Giovanni at the pinnacle of Silph Co.

He sees the moment he became the Champion of the Kanto League.

He tells himself that this situation need not be a _bad_ memory, per se. It certainly has the potential to be a good memory if he weren't so anxious and nervous.

Red takes in a breath of air as a heavy hand settles on his shoulder. He looks back and is acutely surprised to see Green there grinning.

"I'm not over here talking to you 'cause I'm cheering for you, just so you know. But you look like you could use a bit of reassurance."

Red shakes his head quickly, attempting to convey something that even he is unsure of. But Green thankfully seems to understand, and rolls his eyes in response.

"Fine, fine. Whatever you _say_, dude," Green pulls away from his friend and wanders into the middle of the field. "The battle between Kanto Champion Red and Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak is about to begin. This will be a three on three Pokémon Battle, wherein the person who has no Pokémon left at the end of the battle is the loser," he pauses and smirks, knowing him – for a dramatic flair. "Begin!"

Red remembers back onto everything he has ever accomplished and makes up his mind. He is very much so prepared for this moment.

Red steels himself and reaches for a Pokéball. Across the field Professor Oak does the same.


End file.
